1. Field
The present disclosure is generally related to vessels used for melting materials. More specifically, the present disclosure is related to controlling temperature of and cooling speed of vessels.
2. Description of Related Art
Cold hearth melting systems may be used to melt a metal or an alloy. The container can be designed to include a cooling system to force-cool the container and absorb heat during the heating/melting process. Examples of cooling and melting techniques for melting materials include skull melting (also known as cold wall induction melting), plasma hearth melting/plasma arc melting, and electron beam melting. All of these techniques may be used to process reactive metals such as titanium, zirconium, hafnium, and beryllium and alloys thereof, for example.
When melting such materials, water (or other suitable cooling liquid or fluid) may be used to absorb heat loss from the molten material and in the container base itself. Because the base is forced cooled, heat loss from the molten material and base to the water can be excessive, resulting in a waste of induction power and/or electricity.